Question: The Catholic Church teaches that
during consecration at the Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the
Body and Blood of Jesus. You disputed this. How do you explain countless
Eucharistic miracles that have occurred (for example, see the book
'Eucharistic Miracles' by Joan Carroll Cruz)?

Answer: There are numerous reports of miracles in which the bread was changed into human flesh
and the wine changed into blood. It is claimed that these miracles were
verified by observation and even laboratory tests.

Now, the Catholic Church teaches that
only the SUBSTANCE is changed while the bread and wine remain in
APPEARANCE:

If any one...denies that wonderful and singular conversion of the
whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance
of the wine into the Blood - THE SPECIES (APPEARANCE) ONLY OF THE
BREAD AND WINE REMAINING - which conversion indeed the Catholic Church
most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema (Council of
Trent)

Notice that the appearance of bread and wine remains. Thus, if the
'species' (appearance) of the bread is changed into flesh and the
'species' of the wine is changed into blood, as witnessed by the people
who confirm the miracle, then it is NOT
transubstantiation. Not according to the official Catholic definition.
The appearance ought to remain of bread and wine. Rather than
proving the Catholic doctrine, the Eucharistic miracles actually
contradict transubstantiation! Sometimes Satan is caught in his own
devices.

Throughout history, people have appealed to miracles as
evidence for every sort of doctrine (not only in the Catholic church but
also in other religions). Unless we want to be deceived, we should build
our faith on a surer foundation. The truth about the nature of
Eucharistic bread and wine must be established from the study of the Word
of God, the Bible.

In the history of salvation, God had authenticated His prophets and
apostles, and especially His Son by genuine signs, wonders and miracles.
Their message - the Word of God - is now written down in the Bible
and all that is required of us is to know and believe it. The same Bible
warns us that the only signs and wonders left are lying and deceptive.
Please read the following passage carefully:

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he
who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with
the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan,
with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God
will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that
they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had
pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

The climax of this deception occurs when 'the lawless one will be
revealed' but the same principle applies throughout the church era. The
mystery of iniquity was already at work in the apostolic church, and
continues to our day until the glorious return of our Lord. What happens
to those who would not believe the truth? God judges their unbelief by
confirming them in their error, even by allowing them to be deceived by
signs and lying wonders. This is most serious!

Believe the truth spoken by Christ and his apostles, whose words are
infallibly recorded in the Holy Scriptures, and do not be impressed even
if a million miracles had to happen every day.

Believe God's Word lest you be deceived by 'signs and lying wonders.'
The bread and the wine, which Christ called 'my body' and 'my blood'
remain bread and wine (‘you eat this bread’ and ‘the fruit of the
vine’ 1 Corinthians 11:26; Mark 14:24). We eat and drink in remembrance
of Him for He is now corporally in Heaven, and we await His coming
again. On that day we shall see him face to face and then we would not
celebrate the Eucharist anymore because we shall be with Him. "For
as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Copyright Dr Joe Mizzi.
Permission to copy and distribute this article without textual changes. <
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